pope

Meanings

Noun

• An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state.
• An honorary title of the Coptic bishop of Alexandria as father and head of his church.
• An honorary title of the Orthodox bishop of Alexandria as father and head of his autocephalous church.
• Any bishop of the early Christian church.
• The ruffe, a small Eurasian freshwater fish (Gymnocephalus cernua); others of its genus.
• The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica).
• The painted bunting (Passerina ciris (species)).
• The red-cowled cardinal (Paroaria dominicana (species)).
• Any mulled wine (traditionally including tokay) considered similar and superior to bishop.
• Alternative of pop, a Russian Orthodox priest.
• The whippoorwill (Antrostomus vociferus (species), syn. Caprimulgus vociferus).
• The nighthawk (Chordeiles minor (species)).

Verb

• To act as or like a pope.
• To convert to Roman Catholicism.

Related

Similar words

• Bishop of Rome, Patriarch of Rome, Vicar of Christ
• Bishop of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria
• Orthodox Bishop of Alexandria
• See Guy Fawkes Day.
• See their respective entries.

Origin

• From Middle English pope, popa, from Old English pāpa, from Vulgar Latin papa, from early Byzantine Greek παπᾶς, from late Ancient Greek πάπας, from πάππας.
• By analogy with bishop.
• From Russian поп, from Old Church Slavonic попъ, from Byzantine Greek παπᾶς as above.
• Of origin.